Game device.



B. G. WARD.

GAME D'EVIGE. APPLIOATIOY FILED DE0. 17I 1910. 997,348, Patented July11, 191-1. Jig-1 a INVENTOR B er/mm 6. mMa.

I WITNESSES I ATTOHNEY8.-

coLuMllA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, Ii. c.

BERTRAND G. WARD, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

GAME DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Application filed )ecember 17, 1910. Serial No. 597,754. 7

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, BERTRAND G. VVARD, a citizen of the United States,and residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GameDevices, of which the following is a specification, such as will enablethose skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to game devices or apparatus, and the objectthereof is to provide an improved device of this class which is designedto amuse and entertain both old and young, and which may also be made,in the form ofa table or in the form of a board to be placed on a tableor other support; and with this and other objects in view the inventionconsists in a device of the class specified, constructed as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which vide a table orboard or, having a rim a which extends entirely around the same andwhich projects above the same, and which may also extend below saidtable or board, if desired. For the purpose of this description, the enda of the table or board will be called the front end thereof, and theend a the rear end thereof, and in practice, I place adjacent to eachend of the table or board, or secure therein detachably or otherwise,posts I) and b the post I) being adjacent to the front end of the tableor board and the post 6 adjacent to the rear end thereof.

The table or board a is provided, in the form of construction shown,with a covering a of hard finish cloth or fabric, and the field of saidtable or board is provided with a plurality of hazards 0, c c c 0 etc,up to al said hazards consisting of separate pairs of headed pins whichare driven through the cloth or fabric a into said board, and saidhazards are preferably arranged in the following manner. The hazard c isplaced in front of and at a predetermined distance from the front post5, while the hazard 0 is placed in front of and at a predetermineddistance from the rear post 5 and the hazard c is placed in the middleof the table or board. The hazards 0 0 0* and c are arranged in the formof a square between the hazards 0 and 0 while the hazards c a c and 0are arranged in the form of a square between the hazards 0 and 0 Irality of balls cl, (Z d and d composed of iron, steel or otherparamagnetic material and which are differently colored, or otherwisedesignated, together with a strong magnet 6 preferably of the horseshoeform.

It will be understood that any desired number may play the game andconsequently any desired number of the balls d, (P, etc., may also beemployed.

In the playing of the game, a line f is preferably drawn across thetable or board in frontof the front post 5, or between said post and thefirst hazard 0, and a player takes the magnet e in one hand, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, and holds it over or passes itoverhis ball on the line f in the direction of the first hazard c, or thespace within said hazard, and in this operation, if the magnet isproperly manipulated the ball will follow the direction of the magnetand pass through said hazard. The direction taken by the ball from thepost 6 to the post 6 is indicated by, the dotted lines g, and from thepost 5 back to the post 5 by the dotted line 9 arid the object is tomanipulate the magnet at separate plays so as to cause the said ball totake the said course, the playing of the game in this respect bealsoprovide a plu ing similar to the playing a game ofcroquet. If the firstplayer passes the ball through the first hazard 0, he has another shotor play, the object of which is to pass the ball through the hazard andso on to the post 5 and a player may, as will be understood, pass theball through two of said hazards at one play, and this would entitle himto two more plays, in order, if necessary, to get into position and makethe next hazard or hazards, and this rule is fol lowed by each player inthe same manner as with the game of croquet. If a player at any timemisses a hazard, or fails to pass his ball therethrough, he makes a missor break, and the next player takes his turn.

It will be understood that each player may have a magnet e of his own aswell as a ball of his own, or all the players may use the same magnet.In the manipulation of the magnet it must not touch the ball, but thesaid magnet must be so manipulated in making a stroke that the ball willfollow it for a certain distance, and after a little practice a playermay become so elficient that he may easily pass his ball through twohazards, if they are in line, and he may also so manipulate the magnetas to cause the ball to follow a more or less curved line.

Instead of the hazards consisting of headed pins, as shown in Figs. 1and 2, two osts may be employed as shown at 0 in Fig. 3 or an ordinarywicket as shown at 0 in Fig. at, or a pocket 0 may be substituted asshown in Fig. 5.

In playing the game with the hazards formed by posts 0 as shown in Fig.3, or consisting of a wicket as shown in Fig. 1, the magnet and ballwill be manipulated in the same manner as hereinbefore described, but inplaying the game when the hazard or hazards consist of a pocket as shownin Fig. 5, the object will be to pass the ball into or into and out ofsaid pocket or pockets. If the balls stop in a pocket the player maytake it out, place it'adja cent to the pocket and proceed with his play,and when he makes a miss the next player follows in the same manner, itbeing understood that the ball of one player may be played on by anotherplayer the same as in the playing of croquet.

The table or board may be made in any desired manner and of anypreferred dimensions and need not necessarily be covered with cloth, allthat is necessary in this connection being to provide an open oblongbox-shaped device of this class comprising a bottom and rim or marginalwalls, and my invention is not limited to the particular arrangement ofthe hazards shown in Fig. 1 and other arrangements may be employed, ifdesired.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a game apparatus of the class described, an oblong boxshaped deviceopen at the top and comprising a bottom and a rim or marginal walls saidbottom being provided with a fabric covering, posts arranged adjacent tothe opposite ends of said device, a plurality of hazards arranged in apredetermined order between said posts, a plurality of balls composed ofiron or other paramagnetic material, and a magnet by which said ballsare manipulated.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 16th day of December1910.

BERTRAND o. WARD.

lVitnesses:

C. E. MULREANY, J. BARTLETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

